Cirque du Soleil has been dazzling audiences for more than three decades, with elaborately staged shows featuring gravity-defying performances by some of the world’s best circus artists.

With its brand-new arena creation, “Cirque du Soleil Crystal: A Breakthrough Ice Experience” – having its New England premiere at Worcester’s DCU Center beginning December 7 – the Quebec-based company has added ice skating to the acrobatic feats for the first time in its 33-year history.

A company of 20 acrobats and 17 skaters will perform together on the ice and in the air with synchronized, freestyle, and extreme skating sharing the spotlight with circus disciplines such as swinging trapeze, aerial acts, and hand-to-hand acrobatics.

“Crystal” is the 42nd production by Cirque du Soleil, a company formed in 1984 from a group of 20 Canadian street performers which has since become one of the world’s largest theatrical producers. Kathleen Renaud, senior artistic director with the company since 2011, oversees not only “Crystal” but also three separate, open-ended Cirque du Soleil productions in Las Vegas: “Mystère,” “The Beatles LOVE” and “Michael Jackson One.”

By telephone recently from her Las Vegas home, the Montreal-born Renaud – who got her start with Cirque du Soleil in 1992 as a performer in “Mystère” – talked about “Crystal” and more.

Q: What should we know about “Crystal”?

A: “It’s definitely a new kind of project for us. Once again, Cirque du Soleil has broken through to a new area of exploration. Right from its beginning in 1984, Cirque has always taken risks and moved in new directions. This production is an ice show that merges the worlds of acrobatics and skating to deliver a level of performance in both disciplines that Cirque fans have come to expect.”

Q: How did the idea to do a Cirque ice show first develop?

A: “Cirque is always exploring new and unfamiliar areas and that process often takes considerable time. This show was in development for several years which is not at all surprising. We feel deadlines can limit creativity so we work until we find just the right storyline, and the right writers, directors, and creative team to bring it to life. It’s a very organic flow and process.”

Q: With this new production, do you feel a particular responsibility to the many fans of professional ice skating?

A: “Absolutely. This is a new audience for us and we have a responsibility not to disappoint them. We take that all very seriously, which is why we did our homework and made sure we worked with skate experts to get everything right.”

Q: How did that collaboration evolve?

A: “In 2005 and 2006, when Cirque was creating the “Beatles LOVE” show for the Mirage Las Vegas, it was decided to have it be primarily a dance show. Dance was not in our traditional skill set so we reached out to professional dancers and experts in that field. It was a similar process with ‘Crystal’ and the skating world.

“We turned to Kurt Browning, a four-time Canadian and World Champion figure skater, to be our skating performances senior designer, and to Benjamin Agosto, a five-time U.S. Ice Dancing champion and 2006 Olympic Silver Medalist, to serve as skating performances designer. We also brought Marilyn Langlois onboard as our synchronized skating designer.

“We knew that the art of skating is complex. Working with Kurt, Benjamin, and Marilyn has confirmed that dedication and perseverance. We, of course, get a very similar commitment from our aerialists and acrobats. Kurt also confirmed for us the ability of skate to tell a story. That’s where the beautiful marriage of Cirque and skate was really made.”

Q: What is the storyline of “Crystal”?

A: “The main character, Crystal, is an off-beat young woman with her head in the clouds. She is a dreamer, just trying to fit in. There is a lot of her in all of us. She faces challenges to which many of us can relate – mainly how to figure out where we’re going in life. At one point, Crystal is out on a frozen pond and falls through the ice. It is in this underwater world of her imagination that she begins to see her own potential. It is a very emotional journey for her in what is a lovely and touching story.”

Q: Describe the visual of the show.

A: “First of all, there is nothing better for our designers to work with than a sheet of white ice. They are able to project mood-setting images and scenes that can shift seamlessly. We also have a few technical surprises that are just wonderful, but should be experienced in person!”

Q: Do you ever miss being a performer?

A: “I’m very proud to have been a dancer/character in ‘Mystère,’ when it opened as the first resident Cirque show in Las Vegas, but I no longer miss performing. I did when I was first transitioning through my retirement as a performer to the creative and management side of the business, but now I feel proud to work for Cirque in a different capacity. We like to work at a very high level. Cirque is a unique environment and I love being a part of it.”